It has long been known that in floating slab constructions and the like there are appreciable heat losses due to conduction of heat through the footings to the surrounding soil and air. Efforts to insulate the outside perimeters of such footings have been frustrated by the fact that in conventional constructions a part of the footings is above ground and a part is below ground. A successful insulator for the outside perimeter of such footings must be substantially a permanent installation which is capable of withstanding a wide range of destructive forces over a long period of time. A brief listing of such destructive forces would include solar degradation, thermal forces above and below ground, chemical agents above and below ground, a variety of mechanical forces both intermittent and continuous, attack by bioagents and invasion by worms, grubs, roots and the like. The successful insulator must also be economical to manufacture and convenient and economical to install.
It therefore is an object of this invention to provide a panel for an insulating skirt for the outside perimeter of foundations and footings and the like which becomes substantially a permanent part of the structure to which it is applied.
It is further an object of this invention to provide a panel for an insulating skirt as described above which will withstand the destructive forces to which it will be exposed for very long periods of time without appreciable degradation.
It is further an object of this invention to provide a panel for an insulating skirt as described above wherein the panel is composed of a sheet of substantially rigid insulating material and a tough and durable outer protective shield.
It is still further an object of the invention to provide a panel as described above wherein the top portion of the panel is attachable to the structure and the bottom part of the panel is held in place and supported by the earth which is backfilled against the lower portion of the panel.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a panel as described above which is very low cost to manufacture and economical, convenient and versatile in its many uses.